Protective device for harness



May 14, 1929. v, M RS 1,112,774

PROTECTIVE DEVICE FOR HARNESS Filed April 24, 1928 V M arsh H I I Ventor Patented May 14, 1929.

vmomv'r MARSH, or Dickinson. NORTH DAKOTA.

PROTECTIVE DEVICE FOR HARNESS.

Application filed April 2 1,

This invention relates to protective devices ior harness straps and the like and has for its object to provide a construction simple to manufacture and more eiiicient in service than those heretofore proposed.

With these and other objects in view the invention consistsin the novel detai ls of construction and arrangementsoi parts as will be more fully hereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specificationin which like numerals designate like parts in all the views: 1

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the protec tive device as applied to a harness strap;

. Fig. 2 is a top planview of the protective device as cut from sheet material; and

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the parts disclosed in Fig. 1. i i i This protective device is more particularly adapted for use in connection with metallic rings, buckles, and the like which have caused a rapid. wearing away oi the leather strap holding the same with subsequent breakage of the strap. This device is also peculiarly adapted to harness straps in that it has a portion which serves as a butler preventing said strap from chafing against the animal or other leather portions of the harness so that the life of the strap provided with this device is materially lengthened.

The device is preferably made of leather and cut in the shape of a dumbbell, or in other words, having a relatively narrow and. centrally disposed connecting portion 1 at one end of which is an enlarged oval ear 2 having punched therethrough a hole 3 disposed to one side of the connecting portion 1 in what may be termed one lobe of said ear, and a similar hole 4 disposed in the other lobe of said ear. Intermediate the holes 3 and 4 there is cut an oblong opening 5 through which the harness strap may pass. One side of this oblong opening 5 is made by a out which extends beyond the limits of said opening as at 6 and 7 for a purpose that will presently appear. 1 I

At the other end of the connecting portion 1 there is another car 10 similar in all respects to the ear 2. That is to say, the car 10 is also provided in its opposite lobes with the round holes 11 and 12 and the oblong opening 13 with associated slits 14: and 15, disposed and spaced exactly as were the parts 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the opposite ear 2.

1928. Serial No. 272,507.

The oblong openings 5 and. 13 are made of a length and width to readily accommodate the harness strap to which the device is applied. r T 1 Referring more particularly to Fig. 1 it willbe seen that the blank is folded at its connecting. portion 1 so that the ears 2 and 10 will overlie each other, and in the bending operation one of the ears is folded and passed through the metallic ring 20,01 buckle or other device'with which the strap is to be provided. 1

One end of: the strap is then laced through one of the oblong openings such as 5 thence eirteriorly around the bent connecting portion 1 and. passed through the ring and thencethrough the other oblong opening such as 13 with the result that the strap is exteriorly disposed with relation to the connecting portion 1 but the two end portions 21 and 22 of the relationto the ears 2 and 10 of the protective device. A rivet or other suitable fastoning means is then passed through the reg istering holes 3 and 11, and another rivet or the like is passed through the other registering holes 4 and 12, and said rivets flattened to secure the flaps 2 and 10 tightly together.

With particular reference to Fig. 3 the arrangement of parts will be noted in which the ends 21 and 22 are clearly shown as passing between the ears 2 and 10 but forming a loop 23 which is exteriorly disposed around the bent connecting portion 1 of the protective device, the lobes of said ears extending to either side of the connecting portion 1 being shown joined in flat surface contact due to the rivets designated in Fig. 1 as by the numeral 25.

The slits 6, 7, 14- and 15, above referred to, aid materially in the disposition of the strap ends within the oblong openings. That is to say, and with particular reference to Fig.

3 it will be observed that the slit 7 and of course its companion slit 6 permits the leather to be bent to accommodate the ends of-the strap passing through the oblong openings. By providing these slits a breaking of the leather at the corner of the oblong opening is prevented and thus the life of the protective device is lengthened.

By the use of such a device as above described it is to be observed that the metal oi. the ring 20 can in no way touch the strap, and in connection with this effect and with particular reference to Fig. 1 it should be strap are interiorly disposed with noticed that the width of the connecting gort of tion l'is slightly greater than the wi and which serve as a meansfor preventing the ends of the strap from undue frictional contact with other parts of the harness, such for example as the saddle leather, andthe ears extending away from said straps prevent a twisting or turning of said straps so that the same will'lie in their correct position over the saddle'leather.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction as well asarrangements of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention and it is therefore desired not to be limited to the above disclosure except as maybe required by the claims. I

Vhat is claimed is:

1. A protective device for harness straps or the-like comprising two end portions constituting ears connected by a central portion each ear provided with a slot for receiving therethrough said strap, said device adapted to be folded at said central portion to include within the fold a metallic member normally but detrimentally coactin with said strag, each ear being formed wit 1 laterall exten ing lobes, each lobe being of such ength as to provide am 1e space for forming an aperture between t 1e end of the lobe and the adjacent end of the slot, and rivets passing through the apertures in said lobes for securing the ears in overlapped relation.

2. A protective device for harness straps or the like comprising two end portions constituting ears connected by a central portion each ear provided with a slot in alignment with said central portion for receiving therethrough said strap, said device adapted to be folded at said central portion to include within the fold a metallic member normally but detrimentally coact-ing with slid dzrap, each car being formed with laterall extending lobes, each lobe being of such ngth as to provide ample space for forming an aperture between the end of the lobe and the adj acent end of the slot the apertures of each car being in aligmment with the slot therein, and rivets passing through the apertures in said lobes for securing the ears in overlapped relation.

in testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

VINCENT MARSH. 

